Cathedral of Tui. The Arrival.

Welcome to the Cathedral of Tui.

Tui is a municipality which has a population of approximately 17000 inhabitants. It is located south of the Province of Pontevedra beside the River Miño which separates Spain from neighboring Portugal (click here to see Tui in Google Maps).

The Cathedral of Santa María is located in the highest part of the town and it has shaped its appearance as a defensive fortress due to Tui status as a border town in the past. The Cathedral is an important crossing point on the Portuguese Way of Saint James.

We can take the path to the right to go to the riverside promenade of Tui.

We will follow the road to the left. It is called Camino da Barca. We continue down Piñeiro Street and Sanz Street towards San Fernando Square and the Cathedral of Tui.

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We can see in the following links a walk beside the river Miño: The International Bridge, Portuguese Way of Saint James and the just mentioned riverside promenade of Tui.

Way of Saint James. Portuguese Way. Tui. Crossing the River Miño. Part 1.

Way of Saint James. Portuguese Way. Tui. Crossing the River Miño. Part 2.


We can see the stone with the pilgrim emblem, a scallop shell that guides pilgrims. It tells them that from here are 115,454 kilometres to Santiago de Compostela.

Sanz Street is seen from Piñeiro Street. The yellow arrow and the scallop shell guide us.

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Now we see Soutomaior Tower from Sanz Street. The tower is located on the southern wall of the Cathedral. We can also see a balcony beside the tower offering spectacular views.

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We continue going up Sanz Street towards the Cathedral. The information panel says: Sanz Street preserves its medieval layout and this building. It is popularly known as Cárcel Vieja (Old Jail) the doorway we see was built in 1584. There was a former civil prison here.

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From here we can see Soutomaior Tower again.

We have arrived at San Fernando Square. This is the Cathedral of Tui.

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The monumental area of Tui covers a large area of 1.5 hectares and occupies the hill on which the town stretches. It is an example of medieval city that has maintained its historical appearance completely. There are many houses with ogee arches, coats of arms and construction elements from 16th to 19th centuries.

The building of the Cathedral began to be built from 1120 with a Latin cross shape layout. The transept and enclosure walls were built in Romanesque style throughout the 12^th century. The Northern Front and Chapter Hall (which is located next to the Cloister) are also Romanesque style.

From 1170 the building work continues and the main nave and the vaults were completed but already In Gothic style. The Cloister (13^th Century) and the Main Façade (which was finished in 1225 and completed with a portico circa 1250) are also Gothic style.

Part of the Cloister was rebuilt at the beginning of the 15^th Century and the defensive  Soutomaior Tower was built, it is located in the southwest corner of the Cloister. The Chapel and Tower of San Andrés were also built in the northern part of the Cathedral.

Another tower was added on the southern side of the Church at the end of the 15^th Century (it was built on Santa Catalina Chapel which it is from the 14^th Century). In addition former Romanesque apses were replaced by they are today Chapel of Santiago, Chapel of San Pedro and the Main Altar.

The dome was rebuilt and the Chapel of San Telmo was constructed beside the Chapel of San Pedro in the 16^th Century.

The Chapel of San Telmo was enlarged in 1732.